You are about to read an analysis, factor by factor, of the composite chart of yourself and
another person. The
Partner Horoscope
is constructed by first casting complete and accurate natal horoscopes for each of you
separately. These are then combined mathematically into a third horoscope, which describes your
relationship. Any kind of human relationship may be described by a composite chart.

The text used in this chart describes the basic potentials indicated by the positions and
combinations of every planet in the composite horoscope. It is aimed primarily at personal
friendships, but much of the text is also suitable for determining how you would get along with
another person in a business relationship. Obviously you can ignore or modify the comments that
do not pertain to your type of relationship. For example, in a business relationship you would
disregard any remarks on sexual compatibility.

You may come across apparent contradictions in the analysis, when one planetary combination
reveals a particular aspect of the relationship, while another shows something quite different.
These are examples, not of astrology going wrong, but of inherent contradictions in the
relationship, which are likely to produce tension. Sometimes your relationship will exhibit one
set of traits, sometimes the other. One situation that frequently arises in a love relationship
is that some aspects indicate great mutual attraction and compatibility while other aspects
suggest great difficulty. In this case, what usually happens is that although there is a great
attraction between two people, for some reason the relationship does not work out very smoothly.

It should be pointed out that there is almost never a perfect composite chart, no matter how good
the relationship. Even the best relationship has problems. Do not read the difficult aspects in
your
Partner Horoscope
report as signs that your relationship is doomed. These aspects simply indicate hurdles that
must and very often can be overcome to make the relationship happy and rewarding for both of you.
If you were to cast composite charts for all of your major relationships, you would probably find
certain characteristics running through all of them. These are the problems that you as an
individual have to work out personally through your relationships. They do not mean that you
cannot have relationships at all. The most successful relationships are not those in which there
are no problems, but those in which the problems are overcome.

Do not read each entry in the text as if it were the total truth for your situation. Each
paragraph is written to give general indications and suggestions about how you might deal with
each influence. Your
Partner Horoscope
cannot be a substitute for your own judgement.

Reading your
Partner Horoscope
report should help you to recognize and learn to deal with any problems that arise between you.
However, if you are having serious problems with a relationship, we do not recommend that you use
this text as a substitute for a personal consultation with an astrologer or other counselor. The
descriptions are not designed to deal with extreme cases.

This horoscope, entitled 'Partner Horoscope', is also available under the title of 'Astrotext
Partner'. Apart from the title, the two horoscopes are identical.

Enjoy your
Partner Horoscope.

Composite Sun

The house position of the Sun (along with that of the Moon) tells a great deal about the basic
thrust of the relationship, what it exists for, and the major issues it will revolve around. The
aspects to the Sun refer to the most important energy patterns in the horoscope, the kinds of
behavior that will be most important between you.

A badly placed Sun with difficult aspects can be an important factor in making a relationship
difficult or even unbearable. It indicates that the basic energies of the relationship are not
being handled well and that something is fundamentally wrong between you. On the other hand, a
well-placed and well-aspected Sun will help a relationship survive even in difficult times.

In any chart the Sun provides the energy for whatever entity the chart represents. In a
composite chart it shows what kinds of energies each of you contributes. If the proper
expression of this energy is blocked, the relationship will seem inhibiting and repressive to
each person's free self-expression. It will be an effort to maintain the relationship, and you
will not feel at ease with each other. If the Sun is well placed in the chart, the relationship
will be experienced as free and spontaneous self-expression, requiring little effort. Of course,
other factors can create difficulties, even when the Sun is well placed, but a good Sun in a
composite is very desirable.

Sun in the Eleventh House

Composite Sun in the eleventh house is an excellent position for almost any type of relationship,
because the eleventh is the house of friends. The composite Sun here indicates that no matter
what the purpose of the relationship, the two of you will be able to get along with each other.

It is an especially good placement for marriage, because in the long run, friendship is one of
the most important elements in cementing a marital relationship. This position does not by
itself indicate sexual attraction; that must be provided by other components of the horoscope.

The Sun in this position is a good indication that you will share common hopes for the future,
and you will work together to attain them, which is a desirable trait in any relationship. In
fact, shared hopes and ideals may be the main element that binds the two of you together.

The eleventh is also the house of one's social self-expression and your ability to fit into
groups. A well-placed eleventh-house Sun indicates that the two of you can function as a small
group in your own right and that together you will find it easy to relate in larger groups. When
you are together, you enjoy the company of others and are glad to have people around you. This
is in contrast to those couples who like to be together without others.

With this placement, even a business or professional relationship is likely to develop a strong
personal dimension as well, which in most cases should aid rather than inhibit the other
functions of the relationship.

Sun Opposition Mars

Composite Sun opposition composite Mars could be extremely useful in a relationship, if its
energies were not so difficult to harness, for this is the most competitive, argumentative, and
pugnacious of all Sun-Mars combinations. All opposition aspects indicate some kind of
polarization between two entities, but this is especially so with the combination of the Sun and
Mars. The Sun represents the will in general, while Mars represents that side of the will known
as the ego-drive.

This aspect in your composite chart is a probable source of arguments, fights, and all kinds of
ego competition. It indicates particularly that the two of you have very different energy
levels, which can cause all kinds of conflict. One of you will want to do something in one way
at one rate of speed, and the other will want to do it another way at a different pace.

The negative and disruptive effects of this aspect can be mitigated if you both are very secure
in yourselves. In that case, instead of regarding this competitive energy as a threat, you will
take it as a challenge and spur each other on to greater heights of accomplishment. You will
still be competing, but the results will be creative instead of destructive.

Needless to say, this energy would be most difficult to harness creatively in a love
relationship. In a business relationship or a friendship it would be easier to deal with. One
exception should be noted, however. If one of you has to counsel the other in any way, this
aspect would be extremely counterproductive. In such a situation you should be trying to put
your own ego in the background. Such a relationship is not furthered by flare-ups of ego
conflict, which are often indicated by this aspect.

Sun Conjunct Jupiter

Sun conjunct Jupiter is one of the most useful configurations in a composite horoscope. It is an
indication that you will grow through your relationship. In fact, there will be growth,
expansion, and luck in many areas of your lives together.

First, you will have a general sense of well-being, of comforting each other when you are
together, even of nurturing and protecting. A Sun-Jupiter conjunction is a sign of contentment.

Second, there is likely to be material prosperity. In fact, one of the few negative attributes
of this aspect is that within the relationship you may become overly concerned with acquiring
wealth and possessions. But this will not happen in most cases. Even if you are not wealthy,
you will feel that together you have enough. At the very least this is a highly optimistic
configuration.

Third, this aspect will have the effect of broadening your horizons, of expanding your
consciousness of yourselves and each other, and of increasing your understanding. It might
possibly cause you to travel or have connections with foreign countries.

This aspect is a strong indication that whatever the basis of your relationship, it will be a
good one, with fortunate consequences for you.

Composite Moon

The Moon, the natural complement to the Sun, represents the medium through which the Sun's energy
expresses itself. Whenever there is a manifestation of the Sun's energies, the Moon's influence
is also operative.

The Moon is the "planet" that most relates to emotions and feelings. Of course, it is not really
a planet but a satellite of the Earth. Nevertheless, it operates as a planet in the horoscope.

In a composite chart, the Moon indicates how well the relationship acts as a medium of emotional
expression for the two of you. Can you be honest and open with each other about your feelings?
Can one of you reveal his or her feelings without being rejected by the other? It is often
difficult for others to deal with the lunar aspects of one's being, because the level of
intensity of feeling is so basic that they do not fit into the formalized way that people usually
relate to each other. Yet in a close relationship it is very important to be able to deal with
each other on this level. For this reason alone the position of the Moon is very important for
describing compatibility.

The Moon also represents basic structures within one's personality: habits, unconsciously
motivated behavior, and their sources - one's past, origins, family, and home life. If the moon
is well placed in the composite chart, the two of you will feel that you have something in
common. Even if your origins are quite different, you will feel that because of your experiences
you can understand each other better than most couples. A badly placed Moon, however, can create
a sense of alienation, of being different from each other, that will make it difficult for you to
get along.

The house position of the Moon in the composite chart shows the area in which you feel, or ought
to feel, that you have the most in common. If the Moon is badly placed in the chart, its house
position will show the area of greatest emotional stress.

The aspects to the Moon show the quality of the emotions that are experienced in the
relationship.

In contrast to the Sun, which shows what the relationship does, the Moon indicates the subjective
feelings of harmony and empathy that you have for each other, even in difficult times.

Moon in the Tenth House

The composite Moon in the tenth house indicates that you will share a concern for getting ahead
in life. You both want to get somewhere, and you feel that together you can do it better than
you could separately. Fortunately, the Moon in this house is traditionally associated with
making a favorable impact on the public, so your public image is likely to be good. Because of
that fact, the potentials of this position can be exploited better by a professional relationship
than by a personal one, although it is quite good in either case.

However, in a personal relationship, one factor must be kept in mind. The tenth house is an
external house; that is, it deals with matters that are normally part of the external world.
Having an important element of the chart in the tenth house indicates that you tend to see things
too much in terms of externals. The Moon, representing the feelings and emotions, is
particularly damaged by this tendency, because the feeling aspect of a relationship should be an
internal concern. It should be between the two of you rather than outside.

There is a danger that you will look to factors in the outside world - your life situation, your
jobs, property, or whatever - to explain problems that arise between you. You may look out when
you should look in. Or you may concentrate on externals and superficial matters to the exclusion
of internal matters. This is not an inevitable result of this placement, but it is a danger that
must be recognized and dealt with.

In general, the tenth house is a good position for the composite Moon because it is an angular
house, which gives the Moon strength and importance. It also gives the relationship a dynamic,
active quality that can prevent stagnation.

Moon Conjunct Venus

The conjunction of composite Moon and composite Venus is a most positive aspect for any personal
relationship, especially for a love affair or marriage. It indicates a strong feeling of love
between you that you will express openly. The relationship may even have something of a dreamy
quality, as if it were too beautiful to be true. But the nature of this aspect is such that this
relationship should be as good as it looks. Other aspects can give a relationship a feeling of
beauty that is actually an illusion, but this aspect should make the feeling quite satisfactorily
real.

This quality of beauty may be envied by other people. It may seem to them that there are no
rough edges in your relationship, although that will not be entirely true, of course. But the
basic inner strength of this relationship should be great enough to overcome all but the worst
problems.

If this is a marriage, you may have a strong desire for children, because this aspect reinforces
your parental instincts. It also indicates that you probably will have children, although that
is not a basic concern of this aspect.

Beauty and art are also promoted by this aspect. People who work together in the arts often have
this aspect in their composite charts.

In general, this is one of the most positive and useful aspects that a composite chart can have
for a successful personal relationship.

Moon Trine Saturn

The trine of composite Moon and Saturn produces a highly stable and consistent relationship. In
a love relationship, this aspect makes your love for each other steady and sober. If this is a
friendship, it will be an enduring one. What you won't have with this aspect is the wildly
romantic, unstable kind of love that many people seek out. This is an indicator of a serious
relationship, one that is only for those who are tired of playing around and want something real
and enduring. This aspect neither creates nor denies affection and love. It simply makes
whatever feelings there are steady and solid.

You are likely to share the attitude that although you both have emotional needs, they must
always be governed by a realistic, pragmatic approach to life. You accept what you have and do
not make excessive demands upon the other. As a couple, you take seriously what the relationship
offers.

The two of you are also probably quite reflective about the nature of your relationship and quite
self-critical. It is as if you are constantly asking, "What are we together, really?" While it
is beneficial to reflect on the real nature of a relationship, do not overdo the criticism. You
have solid virtues working for you with this aspect. Do not negate them with pessimism.

Moon Conjunct Uranus

The conjunction of composite Moon and Uranus is bound to create a certain amount of excitement;
what it will not provide is stability. You seem drawn to each other for the excitement and
stimulation that this relationship offers, which you both depend upon. If the relationship
ceases to be stimulating, it may very well come to an end. And this is perhaps as it should be,
for Uranus challenges your preconceptions and drives you out of your established ruts. This
relationship may exist for the same purpose.

On the other hand, it is possible that this conjunction signifies something unusual or atypical
about the relationship itself. In a love relationship it could mean that the two of you would
not ordinarily be expected to get together. Perhaps your backgrounds are radically different -
racially, ethnically, or socially - or there is a great difference in your ages, or possibly you
are both of the same sex. Whatever the case, Uranus makes it unusual. This quality may also be
characteristic of a friendship.

The unusualness of the relationship may actually overcome the instability brought about by
Uranus. That is, if the relationship itself is unusual, it may be more stable than a more
ordinary partnership.

In a marriage or love relationship, this aspect demands that you give each other more than the
usual amount of freedom. Any attempt by either of you to be very possessive is likely to
jeopardize the partnership.

This is likely to be an unusual relationship. Accept it as such and allow it to teach you
something new about life.

Moon Square Neptune

Be very careful if you have the square of Moon and Neptune in your composite horoscope. This
aspect creates a great danger that one or both of you will deceive yourselves or each other,
either about the nature of the relationship or about outside matters that affect it. It can
produce a situation in which one of you has come to "help" the other with a very difficult
psychological problem, such as alcohol or drugs. But with a Moon-Neptune square, the so-called
helper is often motivated by the desire to escape from some personal problem by relating to
someone whose problems appear to be worse. This situation creates a savior-victim relationship
that can be quite unhealthy, because the real issues are never faced.

The relationship may also take on a very unreal idealistic tone, with the two of you creating
beautiful illusions about yourselves and each other. But eventually you are likely to find that
you have not faced all the facts about each other, and you may become completely disillusioned
and embittered. Disappointment of one's ideals is perhaps the greatest danger presented by this
aspect. Its negative effects can be prevented only by the most hard-nosed, pragmatic, and
practical evaluation of the relationship. And unfortunately, that is the very thing that the
Moon-Neptune energy tends to block.

Moon Square Ascendant

The square of composite Moon and Ascendant places great emphasis on emotional fulfillment within
a relationship. This is a relationship that will get nowhere without strong emotional interaction
between you. Because of this, it is necessary that you both feel that your backgrounds are
similar, even if they are not actually the same. The important point is that your backgrounds
give you compatible attitudes about the world.

This relationship will very likely cause each of you to be very attached to elements in your
past, so it is important that these be elements that bring you together rather than drive you
apart. Unfortunately, you cannot tell from this aspect alone which of the two it will be. Your
overall compatibility is the only way to judge this. At any rate, watch out for unconscious
attitudes from your past that affect the way you get along together now. Live in the here and
now with each other, and do not let the past get in your way.

If your relationship is not running smoothly, people around you will find out very quickly. Your
emotions as a couple are very quickly transmitted to others, even without any particular idea of
conciliating them. You both are more concerned with the relationship between you at all levels
than with how it looks to others. Nevertheless, you will probably get along well with people
outside of your relationship.

Composite Mercury

Mercury is the planet of mind and communication. In a relationship it signifies the quality and
manner of communication between the two of you. It also tells something about the way you affect
each other's thinking and how you think as a couple, collectively.

A well-placed Mercury in the chart indicates that you have some degree of intellectual
understanding and can communicate with each other. While it is desirable, especially in an
emotional relationship, that two people have an intuitive, unspoken understanding, it is also
highly desirable that you be able to talk easily with each other. Even in the most compatible
relationship, it is impossible for each partner to figure out what is on the other's mind without
some kind of verbal exchange.

Unfortunately, very often, especially in a love relationship, people think that if they truly
love each other, they should be able to feel what the other is thinking without having to say
anything. What happens if you do this, however, is that you act according to what you guess
about each other, and eventually you are dealing with your partner as if she were a creation of
your own mind. If there is no communication between you, all you have left is the image created
in your mind in the absence of real understanding. This is what a badly placed Mercury often
signifies.

Basically, Mercury signifies your ability to speak each other's language, to express your
thoughts in ways that the other can understand. This requires that your minds be attuned to each
other in some way, so that you can share ideas, concepts, and words. A well-placed Mercury is a
great benefit to any relationship.

Mercury in the Tenth House

The key idea of Mercury in the tenth house of the composite chart is consciousness of life
direction or purpose. This position implies that you both have a very strong feeling of purpose
within your relationship. At the very least, you will discuss and think about your aims a lot.
Mercury in the tenth house does not tell a great deal about what that purpose may be, but it does
indicate that the issue will be important.

If your relationship exists for a business or professional purpose, this position suggests that
you will work together successfully in such fields as communications, transportation, education,
or writing.

In a personal relationship, nothing so specific is implied, except that communication at all
levels will be important in fulfilling the purpose for which you have come together. There will
be a strong intellectual bond between you. You will enjoy sitting and talking and sharing your
ideas with each other. And the more you do this, the more you will grow as a couple. This
placement signifies that through reason, logic, communication, and thought - the functions of
Mercury - you will achieve your maximum growth as a couple.

Mercury Square Saturn

Mercury square Saturn in the composite chart can present real problems in a relationship, for it
symbolizes basic difficulties in communication. Most commonly the problem is not that the two of
you cannot communicate but simply that you do not try. But you can get around the worst effects
of this aspect if you make the effort to communicate. Do not assume that the other person knows
what is on your mind. Try to say whatever you are thinking, and say it clearly.

You must be careful, however, for when this aspect does not cut off communication, it may make
the two of you dwell on negative or depressing subjects. You both may have a tendency to say
nothing until you have a complaint to voice. Then you put the complaint in the most cutting and
irritating words possible. Or you will skip over the real issues that are annoying you and pick
away at some superficial problem. Try to avoid both negative and excessively critical thoughts
and words. It is almost better to say nothing.

As a couple, you must communicate regularly about all things, not just complaints and criticisms.
Otherwise you each will feel that there is no reason to keep the relationship going, that it is
not worth the effort. But if you keep in touch with each other, it will not be this way.

Mercury Sextile Neptune

Mercury sextile Neptune in a composite chart indicates that the two of you are seeking some
intellectual or mental ideal within this relationship. At its best this aspect can bring about
instantaneous nonverbal communication between you, a direct intuitive understanding of each
other's mind. At its least productive, this aspect can mean that one or both of you is
overidealizing the relationship rather than experiencing it as a reality. Even though the
reality may not be that bad in itself, it is not taken for what it is. However, this is not a
particularly difficult aspect to handle; even in the most overly idealized fantasy, there is
likely to be enough real communication between you to prevent crushing disappointment when the
fantasy vanishes.

Idealism will always be a strong element in this relationship, even if you keep your feet on the
ground about most things. There is nothing wrong with your idealism, because sometimes just
believing in an ideal can help make it happen. This is a positive result that you can look
forward to with this aspect.

Mercury Conjunct Pluto

Mercury conjunct Pluto in a composite chart combines the mental and intellectual functions of
Mercury with the powerful transforming qualities of Pluto. These planets together indicate that
this relationship is likely to have a strong effect on the way you both think. Within your
relationship you will analyze aspects of yourselves and how you work together that in previous
relationships you simply would not have bothered with. This aspect is an indication of acute
psychological awareness, which is very helpful in a relationship if it is not overdone to the
point that little issues are distorted and magnified out of all proportion.

But there is a more difficult side to this Pluto-Mercury combination that you must watch for
carefully. It can give rise to mental power struggles between you; that is, one of you tries to
totally dominate the thoughts and opinions of the other. It is not possible to tell from this
aspect alone which person is the dominating one. Actually both people often do it to each other,
with one being dominant in an obvious, overt way, while the other uses passive, more subtle
techniques, such as maneuvering into a position of being the apparent victim in order to gain
sympathy from outsiders. Either party may use either tactic at various times. This is not an
inevitable result of this aspect, but you should recognize the possibility and avoid it.

Another possible effect of this aspect is that its energy may be turned outward. When this
happens, the two of you may find that you are able to influence other people's opinions and
ideas. This aspect would be especially useful in the composite chart of people who have to
influence public opinion, such as those in advertising, public relations, or politics. Here the
influence of this aspect is a powerful tool that can be used for either good or bad, whatever is
intended.

Mercury Sextile Ascendant

The sextile of composite Mercury and Ascendant is a sign that the two of you are likely to get
around, physically and/or mentally. Mercury is the planet of travel, and the sextile is
traditionally associated with the third house, which also rules travel, so travel is very heavily
emphasized in this relationship. The point must be made, however, that travel is not necessarily
limited to its literal meaning. It can also mean mental journeys, encounters with new ideas and
ways of thinking.

The two of you exhibit a restlessness of thought that makes it very unlikely that you will settle
into any rigid mental patterns. At the same time, however, there is a danger that your
restlessness will make it difficult to settle down into a stable relationship. Fortunately, with
this aspect, restlessness is not likely to weaken the relationship, only to make it less
predictable.

The two of you have very strong ideas about what you want in this relationship, and you like to
talk about these ideas. Because you are very clear about what you want, you are able to plan out
the best course of action for attaining it.

Friends are important to both of you, but they must be stimulating people. You do not like to
have dull people around. You enjoy lively banter with others because it stimulates your own
thinking processes. It appeals to your need for new experiences, particularly on the
intellectual level.

In a personal relationship, this aspect may emphasize intellectual exchange of ideas at the
expense of intimate emotional communication. Try not to intellectualize your feelings; instead,
allow yourselves to experience your feelings simply as feelings.

Otherwise, communication between you is better than average, and this aspect will help
considerably in any kind of relationship.

Composite Venus

Venus is obviously important in any kind of relationship, because it rules both love and the
ability to form relationships, particularly those based on emotion. If Venus is badly placed,
you may have a long-term relationship, but it will not have much love. On the other hand, if
Venus is strong and well placed, but other relationship indications are not good, the two of you
may be drawn to each other very strongly even though you are not really compatible. This creates
a very stormy, short-lived relationship.

In its deepest meaning, Venus represents the principle in the universe that draws two entities
together by natural and spontaneous inner forces, much the way positive and negative charges
attract each other. No external compulsion is needed. But the power of Venus attracts only if
the two entities have fully defined themselves as individuals within the universe. In human
terms, this means that you have to be yourself in order to love someone else. If you live
according to other people's ideas of what you ought to be, without regard for your own inner
impulses, you will not really be a whole person enough to love another.

The position of Venus in the composite chart indicates how far this relationship will allow both
of you to express yourselves through love. It also describes what part of your environment you
most desire to bring into this experience. It is not necessary to have a good Venus in order to
make a relationship survive, but a good Venus will make the relationship worth having.

Venus in the Tenth House

The tenth house of the composite chart is an angular house, and therefore the effect of Venus is
emphasized. Your experience of love within this relationship will very strongly affect the lives
of both of you.

The tenth house rules the purposes for which the relationship exists, the nature of its
individuality, and its role in the larger society. On the psychological level, this relationship
will aid both of you in discovering what you want to do with your lives. Loving each other
should reinforce you and give you greater confidence in yourselves.

Partly because of this mutual reinforcement, you are likely to be very openly affectionate in the
company of other people. They will regard you as a loving couple, or if you are friends, as
having a very close friendship. This is a relationship that stands openly before the world and
does not hide from the view of others.

At the same time, this relationship will teach you about the nature of love and how you relate to
others on an intimate personal level. The only way you can learn what living with another person
means is by doing so. That is one of the purposes of this relationship.

On a very different plane, the tenth-house Venus may also mean that you have come together for
some purpose connected with the arts, entertainment, or luxuries. This may be either an amateur
or a professional activity.

Venus Conjunct Uranus

With Venus conjunct Uranus in the composite chart, you will have to keep certain points in mind
in order to get the most out of your relationship.

If this is a sexual relationship, it is very likely that your feelings for each other arose
suddenly. This is not an affection built up over a long period of time; in fact, it happens
almost immediately. Even a friendship with this aspect develops quickly.

But no matter how intense the feeling, recognize that any attempt to hold onto this relationship
and make it long-lasting is probably doomed to failure. It is not inevitable that this will be a
short-term affair, but if you want it to last, you must give each other lots of room to move.
The more freedom you give yourselves and each other, the better the relationship will be. If you
try to limit each other, you will probably destroy whatever good could come from your
association. You both must be very open to strong feelings for others as well as to all sorts of
feelings within yourselves.

A relationship like this shakes your established thought patterns and gives you both the
opportunity to find something new in yourselves. It can and probably will be exciting, but it
won't proceed according to the script you have in your mind. And if the moment comes when it
must end, let it go, for you won't be able to keep it. Possibly it won't end like that, but that
chance cannot be a factor in your considerations. This relationship may very well change your
life. Give yourselves the freedom to go where it takes you.

Composite Mars

The basic principle of Mars is the ego-drive, the energy by which you sustain your sense of being
an individual, both toward the world and toward other people. You inevitably build up your
notions of yourself through the ways in which you interact with others. Without some kind of
active inner energy, you would not be able to withstand encounters with others at all and would
be forced to drop out of life altogether. And indeed this does happen to some people.

In a relationship, people try to establish some kind of positive connection with each other, but
ego-drives often get in the way. If you have a sound sense of yourself, as signified by a
well-placed Mars, you will have little difficulty getting along with others. But if Mars is
badly placed, your sense of your own being is deficient, and you will get into conflicts that
make it impossible to relate to others. A conflict between two people arises whenever one
challenges a weakness in the other's sense of individuality - in other words, the ego.

In a composite chart, Mars signifies your ability to create an environment within the
relationship for both of you to express yourselves fully without threatening each other and
provoking destructive conflicts. Some - perhaps quite a lot of - conflict in a relationship is
inevitable, and conflict per se should not be suppressed. But your ego-drives must be basically
compatible within the relationship, or nothing can be accomplished.

In a sexual relationship, Mars also rules the sex drive. A successful sexual relationship
requires that both Venus, the ability to relate, and Mars, the ego-drive, be in good condition.
There is a large ego component in a successful sexual relationship. If the relationship does not
express each of you, it will not work. A poorly aspected Mars in a composite signifies deficient
ego-drives, which will affect your ability to get along with each other, and in a sexual
relationship, it will affect the quality of physical sex.

Mars in the Fifth House

The fifth house is a very compatible position for Mars in a composite chart, but the needs it
generates must be met. It is a position of great self-expression, so there must be ample
opportunity for self-expression in this relationship. You must give each other plenty of room to
be yourselves with a minimum of interference. If you impose all manner of limitations on each
other, there will be considerable conflict. Mars is related to ego energies, which create no
problem if expressed. If they are not expressed, however, they can create many difficulties.

It would be excellent for the two of you to be as active as possible together, with a common set
of goals toward which you bend your energies. In that way the energy that might become a source
of conflict can bind the two of you together.

In a sexual relationship this position can be extremely beneficial, provided that you follow the
advice given above. The fifth is the house of love affairs, while Mars, along with Venus, rules
sexual energy. In a sexual relationship with this position, if you don't work well together on a
sexual level, there is not likely to be harmony on any other level. The energy that should be
used in sex instead becomes the source of very divisive ego conflict.

Mars Opposition Jupiter

This aspect between Mars and Jupiter in the composite chart is one of the easiest oppositions to
work with. It does create within a relationship a great deal of energy that must be given some
kind of outlet. If the energy is bottled up, it can create problems.

To use the energy of this aspect, it is necessary for the two of you to be active together.
Whenever practical, you must do things jointly and pool your resources. If you do, you will find
that together you can perform tasks that you could never do as separate individuals. You arouse
physical energy in each other.

But if you do not find an outlet by working together, the energy can create a competitiveness
that will tend to break up rather than cement the relationship. Mars-Jupiter energy is very
physical, and often is best expressed in athletic activities, such as playing together in sports.
Also, sports provide an expression for the naturally competitive nature of the aspect. You will
spur each other on to action in a light-hearted and friendly way. You may tease and make fun of
each other, but this competitiveness will not become destructive unless you try to suppress it.

If you work together cooperatively, the best of this aspect's energies will be brought out in
your relationship.

Composite Jupiter

Jupiter in the composite chart signifies the areas that will provide a solid basis for growth
through the relationship. A strong Jupiter helps to ensure that whatever the course of the
relationship and whatever may happen to it, you both will be aware of how much you have been
helped by being together.

The house position of Jupiter designates what aspect of your relationship will be emphasized as a
growth area. The two of you will be able to depend on that area for sustenance together, and
unlike other aspects of your relationship, it will not be the cause of conflict and difficulty.

Nevertheless, what Jupiter brings to a relationship should not be taken totally for granted.
There is always a danger that you may overextend yourselves in the area in which Jupiter is
significant, which can convert it into a source of difficulty. If the energy of Jupiter is
flowing easily, it is unlikely to cause trouble. But if the energy is flowing with difficulty,
there may be problems, usually brought on by doing something to excess. In any case, Jupiter is
not usually a major source of trouble in a chart and can usually be counted on to bring
benevolent results.

Jupiter in the Eleventh House

Jupiter in the eleventh house of the composite chart is an excellent placement for any
relationship. It indicates that there are good feelings between you and that you will give each
other opportunities to grow and become more evolved human beings. You stimulate each other's
idealism greatly, and you will work very hard to realize your ideals. The eleventh is the house
of your ideals and hopes or, in a composite chart, the ideals that the two of you share.

Since the eleventh house represents friendship, Jupiter here is an especially good indication of
warm friendly feelings between you. The relationship will have excellent overall consequences
for both of you. A love affair or marriage with this position will be in excellent condition.
Not only are there good feelings between you, but you are likely to be lucky in a material way.
This is because you are very optimistic in each other's company, which generates the kind of
positive thinking that helps bring good fortune. As a couple you will have good friends among
the people you know, and circumstances in your environment will be favorable to your
relationship.

Composite Saturn

Saturn is always a very complicated symbol. It has many meanings, some of which are difficult to
deal with. To begin with, it often represents those areas of the relationship that are likely to
be a source of insecurity. It is this attribute that can make Saturn very hard to handle, because
it signifies fears, which can generate a negative energy that makes the worst come true. You
must learn to relax about those areas of the relationship that are most influenced by Saturn.

Saturn also refers to limitations on the relationship, which are often more apparent than real.
Saturn is an inhibitor, representing the aspects of reality that limit our efforts to expand and
grow. As a consequence, through the resistance of Saturn, everything in both the material and
psychological world is forced to assume a definite form. The position of Saturn in the composite
chart will tell a great deal about what areas of the relationship are most likely to be
structured and even rigidified, if the influence is unchecked.

Saturn is not always difficult, however. Very often it indicates a lasting relationship that
will endure. Much of the time you will respond to Saturn simply by accepting the reality it
imposes and not expecting that which is impossible. This prevents the frustrated idealism that
makes so many love relationships difficult. In such instances Saturn replaces flamboyance with
reliability.

At other times, however, Saturn's influence will make a relationship nearly impossible. When
this happens, it is a reality that must be accepted. Properly handled, the experience of Saturn
can be one of the most significant ways in which you learn how you will act in certain situations
together. But it must be acknowledged that this process is not always particularly pleasant.

Saturn in the Second House

Saturn in the second house of the composite chart usually gives a relationship a great sense of
material insecurity. In the old books, a second-house Saturn in the chart of an individual was
considered an indication of poverty. But many millionaires have had a second-house Saturn; in
fact, it is this placement that caused them to amass a fortune in the first place. They were so
afraid of poverty that they nearly killed themselves in an effort to avoid it.

This is also true in a composite chart. Money is a source of concern to the two of you and
therefore it is also a possible source of problems, even if you have enough money. You may be so
cautious in your handling of financial matters that you won't allow yourselves to enjoy life.
Similarly, the fear of losing money may lead to all kinds of arguments concerning it, so that
money becomes a very divisive issue between you.

Of course, this placement of Saturn can result in the two of you not having enough material
resources. But in that case it is your negative attitudes that actually drive away opportunities
to make money or secure the resources you seek. You may be so conservative that you don't even
see the obvious opportunities to do something about your problems. You hang onto the orthodox
ways of doing things because they are familiar, even though they have served you poorly in the
past.

While you will always be careful with material resources, you must learn to be open-minded toward
new opportunities and proceed with a positive point of view. That will help considerably.

Saturn Trine Uranus

The trine of composite Saturn and Uranus does not create an especially free and open
relationship. There is always some underlying tension and sense of restraint between you.
Nevertheless, you can use this tension quite creatively, for it enables you to handle problems
that most couples cannot deal with. But this works only if there are long periods of letdown
between the tense times. If there are not, the tension will eventually build up and explode,
which will end the relationship once and for all.

This aspect favors planning and organizing your lives together. Uranus allows you to see new
ways of doing things, while Saturn ensures that you will be careful and thorough. Similarly,
your world views as a couple will be balanced between the old and the new, so that you experience
the best in both worlds.

This aspect could be very useful if you have come together for the purpose of teaching others.
All Saturn-Uranus combinations give some capacity for teaching, but the trine is the best. A
teacher always has to strike a balance between conveying a discipline (Saturn) and changing and
reforming his or her students (Uranus). The trine in your composite chart makes you complement
each other, so that together you will have this ability, even if it is not so well developed in
each of you individually.

Saturn Square Pluto

The square of composite Saturn and Pluto creates difficulties. One of you will feel that you are
struggling in chains forged by the other, that the relationship is restricitve, and that your
natural growth is being inhibited. It is most likely that each of you will affect the other this
way at different times. It will not be a one-way street.

The energies of the aspect may not be experienced directly, however. The Saturn-Pluto
combination seems to have the effect of creating a shortage or lack of something that seems
essential, so the two of you will not always have what you want, whether it is material comfort
or psychological support. Something in the dynamics of your interaction brings this situation
about. As a consequence, your freedom of movement is very much hindered, and you will blame each
other for this problem.

Please realize, however, that the dynamics of your relationship is the problem, not the other
person. In other words, both of you are contributing to the situation. Until you acknowledge
this fact, you will not be able to straighten out any problems that you encounter.

Such a relationship can face quite unpleasant circumstances, most commonly in the form of
increasing emotional coldness and remoteness between you. From there you may get to the point of
resisting each other strongly and wanting to break free at all costs. If the relationship has
anything going for it and you want to make it work, you must recognize how you have created this
situation. How do you limit each other, not only by actions, but also by attitudes? Do you
undermine each other in any way? Ask yourselves these questions, not to prove each other right or
wrong but only to get at the truth.

Composite Uranus

Uranus is the planet of the unconventional and the unusual, at least in its ordinary
manifestations. It can also reveal alternate views of reality that will help you to learn and
grow. Unfortunately, this usually happens by means of a surprising upset that seems to
completely invalidate your previous beliefs about life. Uranus is often regarded as the planet
of unpleasant surprises. The only way to deal with it positively is to maintain a very open
attitude and to structure your life as little as possible. Some structure is necessary, of
course. But Uranus demands that you maintain a very flexible attitude toward the world.

In a relationship it is important to let the areas most affected by Uranus be much freer than you
might otherwise allow. The aspects to Uranus in the composite chart usually indicate the area of
the relationship that you must release. Not that you will lose it, but you must let it take its
own course, with a minimum of expectations. Venus-Uranus aspects, in particular, represent
relationships that must not be restrained from following their own course.

The house position indicates where Uranus is most effective, and that area must be treated most
gently. Any attempt to make a basically Uranian characteristic conform to rules or expectations
will only cause disturbances; the energy of Uranus under pressure becomes rebellious, insisting
on doing everything in exactly the opposite way from what people want.

Uranus is simply an energy that insists on being given free rein. Your ability to handle it
depends upon how free you are.

Uranus in the Tenth House

With composite Uranus in the tenth house of the chart, the purpose of your relationship may be to
challenge and revolutionize the views and even the lives of the people around you. Such a
relationship may also revolutionize your own lives as well.

The tenth is the house of social status, overall life objectives (as they really are, not as you
wish them to be, which is the function of the eleventh house), and your role in society. This
applies to composite charts as well as to natal charts. Uranus here means that these areas may
take an unusual direction or that they will be a possible source of instability and disruption.

This placement of Uranus can signify that the two of you simply like to do things in your own
highly individualistic style. On the other hand, your view of life may be one that others
consider literally revolutionary. In the latter case, beware of stirring up unnecessary
opposition to your views. You may feel that it is important to arouse some opposition, but make
sure that what you do stir up is intentional. Uranus in the tenth can also produce sudden
changes in your own social status, such as an abrupt and disastrous fall from grace, which can
result from letting your activities get out of control. One thing is certain, however; this
relationship must be allowed to do its own thing.

Note: Uranus is technically near the end of house 9 and is therefore interpreted in house 10.

Uranus Square Neptune

The square of composite Uranus and Neptune occurs in the charts of the children of the early
1950s, who as young adults brought the drug culture to its climax, before it subsided. The
problem signified by drugs and the drug culture is the problem of the nature of reality. One of
the key phrases for Uranus-Neptune is revolutionary idealism, which is not content to merely
exist but tries to impose itself upon the world and become part of the way you live.

Your relationship may have a radical feeling of disorientation. Ideally, the two of you should
know yourselves and each other, but instead you feel totally lost about almost everything,
including yourselves. This aspect will make it more difficult for you to find yourselves, unless
you can learn to be hard-headed realists.

The only problem with your ideals is that even if realized, they might serve no useful purpose.
You may be using these ideals as devices for escaping a reality that is not truly adverse but
that you will not deal with. Perhaps you are afraid that the truth is too strong for you and
that if forced to face it you will lose something that is very important to you. That, however,
is more fear than truth. If you can learn to live together in the real world, you will be better
able to make it all work.

Uranus Square Ascendant

The square of composite Uranus to Ascendant can be quite a disruptive aspect in a composite
chart. It signifies a relationship that is unstable because it offers constant challenges that
may be difficult for the two of you to handle. First of all, it can mean that your directions in
life are so radically different that you can't reconcile them easily. Unfortunately, you won't
be able to deal with this problem just by letting matters be. You each have a tendency to goad
the other, either consciously or unconsciously, and to challenge each other's ego. You each seem
to regard the other as a representative of an established order that you have to rebel against.

In an otherwise good chart, the issue of rebellion may mean that you have come together in
defiance of someone else. If you are lovers, for example, you may be rebelling against parents.
Such a relationship exists simply as a form of rebellion against established standards. This can
be an excellent binding force between you, until you have finished rebelling. As long as the
disruptive energy of Uranus is focused outward, you will not have any great problems between you.
But the day will come when you have to deal with each other, at which point you are likely to
have the problems described in the first paragraph.

The only way to work with Uranus is to be very open to elements that are outside of your usual
way of looking at things, and this includes elements of each other. If the two of you can
broaden your views of the world and accept new challenges, you should be able to handle the
energy of this aspect.

Composite Neptune

Neptune in the composite chart is an energy that most people find quite difficult to handle. It
has two quite separate areas of meaning that are ultimately connected, although they do not seem
related on the surface.

First of all, Neptune is related to disappointment, delusion, deceit, falsehood, and the gradual
disappearance of things. Yet it also represents whatever you idealize, legitimately and
otherwise - that which is spiritual and mystical, which is actually at the root of love in its
most spiritual sense, even more than Venus. It is the two-sidedness of Neptune that is so
difficult to deal with.

To a considerable extent, all true love is based on your idealization of some aspect of the other
person. That is one side of Neptune. But you must also keep in mind the reality of the
situation and not make that person into something she is not. The nature of Neptune is such that
you often go too far and turn the other person into a myth; when you discover the truth, bitter
disappointment sets in. Yet if the Neptune energy were not working to some extent, you would not
have been attracted to that person in the first place.

In a relationship, some things cannot be spelled out in words. It is necessary for two people to
have some inner understanding of each other, or you will never be able to communicate very well.
Neptune rules this kind of sensitivity within a relationship also. But again, its twofold nature
can cause you to overdo your sensitivity, to the point where you make up things that aren't there
or exaggerate the significance of what is.

How can you keep a balance? The answer lies in an aspect of Neptune that provides the key to
really understanding it. Neptune is a totally selfless energy, not readily harnessed to the
demands of the human ego. If you have a strong ego-wish that something be a certain way,
Neptune's involvement becomes dangerous. The more your ego needs to enforce a situation, the
more Neptune will delude you about it. Your own wishes seem to create a barrier to your seeing
clearly, because you are too involved in the situation. Neptune often makes the two of you think
that what you want is already so, even when it isn't.

However, if you can learn to accept the situation as it is, Neptune will help you to learn even
more. If you can hold your ideals and still be able to deal with reality, Neptune may even help
you realize your ideals.

Neptune in the chart tells about those areas of the relationship that are idealized, maybe
dangerously so. It tells about the depth of spiritual communication and about the extent to
which all communication is disrupted by your illusions about each other.

Neptune in the First House

With composite Neptune in the first house of a chart, there is a great danger that the two of you
don't understand what this relationship is all about. You each may have quite widely different
views of your relationship, with neither of you aware of the difference. Or you may have a
fairly clear idea about the direction you should take as a couple, but you have difficulty
understanding where you are at a particular time.

Typical of the problems that Neptune induces is a situation that can occur in a love
relationship. One of you thinks that everything is beautiful and ideal, and the world may agree,
for a first-house Neptune can deceive others as well as yourselves. But you will discover that
something is radically wrong between you when you wake up one morning to find that the other
person is gone, having been unhappy for months.

Another common Neptune pattern that applies here, although it is even more characteristic of the
seventh house, is that one of you sacrifices yourself to "save" the other from some problem. Or
you both may offer yourselves in service to the world. This is usually the rankest form of
self-delusion, because one or both of you is using this pattern as a device for working out your
own hangups. People do not "save" each other in this manner.

Unfortunately there are endless possible sources of self-delusion. But a first-house Neptune
does signify that you must work for a realistic relationship and not let your ideals overwhelm
your ability to see the truth. Yet at the same time you must not surrender your ideals. Accept
them and the truth.

Note: Neptune is technically near the end of house 12 and is therefore interpreted in house 1.

Neptune Conjunct Ascendant

The conjunction of composite Neptune with Ascendant has a twofold significance. One or the other
of its manifestations will emerge in the course of your relationship. But in either case, a
strongly placed Neptune such as this introduces the element of idealism. The question is, what
kind of idealism and how does it affect your ability to see the truth?

At its highest, this aspect indicates that there is a strong spiritual bond between you. An
invisible thread links the two of you together, so that without having to say very much, you each
can feel what the other is thinking. You would be willing to do almost anything for each other.
You feel as if you have been truly united into one being, which is ultimately the highest form of
love.

In such an idealistic relationship, however, the emphasis is on a spiritual bond. In a
relationship that might otherwise be sexual, this aspect may give you such a strong concern for
the spiritual that you do not wish to "contaminate" it with physical contact, or at least that is
how it appears to you. Therefore, this aspect can be an indication of a platonic relationship.

Unfortunately, such an ideal bond is not usually realized. More commonly this aspect indicates a
relationship in which there is an unusual amount of illusion and self-deception. The beautiful
selflessness of the ideal is corrupted into self-martyrdom, which is often used as a means of
controlling the other.

Usually the problem is that one of the partners is not relating to the other as a real human
being. Instead, you create a mental ideal, which you force the other person to fit, whether or
not it is appropriate. But when the other person's real identity emerges, you will experience
great disappointment. This theme is repeated again and again, wherever Neptune is strong. You
must stop searching for an ideal and be willing to appreciate your partner as he or she actually
is. Only then can you get the best out of the relationship. And by so doing you may be able to
experience the higher manifestation of this aspect.

Composite Pluto

Pluto is the planet of death and regeneration. In a composite chart it represents those energies
that cause a relationship to go through periods of heavy change. When Pluto is operative,
something goes out of existence and a new order comes into being. Its action is absolutely
essential to prevent the stagnation that occurs when an old way of life has outlived its purpose.
The old must be cleared away to make room for the new state of being that will follow. When
dealing with Pluto, you must let go of whatever is going through the Plutonian crisis. If you
try to hold on to something that is properly dead, you will not succeed in saving it. You will
only make the situation worse.

Pluto operates with such tremendous power that it may be divorced from its "death and
regeneration" aspect and be experienced purely as power. The power results from the
inevitability of Pluto's transforming quality. The transformations ruled by Pluto are those that
arise from the very nature of what is transformed. Its effect is as much an integral part of an
entity as an object's weight, size, and color. Every living thing contains the set of
circumstances that will eventually bring about all its fundamental changes, including its death.
The power of Pluto comes from within.

In a relationship, Pluto is very often experienced as power conflicts between the two of you. In
a sexual relationship it also gives special power and impact to your emotions and makes every
happening very dramatic and important. This heaviness is one of the more difficult attributes of
the planet, because it can warp your perspective completely.

The house position of Pluto indicates the area of the relationship in which there is most likely
to be a conflict of power, either between the two of you or with the outside world. It also
indicates which area of the relationship is most likely to be transformed through your being
together and as a result which area is most likely to produce crises.

The aspects to Pluto indicate whether this energy will be experienced as difficult or easy and
what other energy patterns it will be linked with.

Pluto in the Tenth House

Pluto in the tenth house of a composite chart signifies that there is a very powerful energy in
this relationship that is strongly oriented to attaining some objective. The nature of the
objective that you seek will depend upon the nature of the relationship, but in every case it
will have to do with making changes in the world around you.

A tenth-house Pluto means that the relationship will somehow heighten your ambitions as a couple.
Other people will feel that the two of you are very powerful, even if separately you do not
impress them that way. At the same time, this relationship will alter and transform your life
direction and heighten your desire to achieve your objectives.

If the two of you handle the energies of this position well, it is a good indication that
together you can achieve something of note. Perhaps you will gain power in business or politics,
or perhaps you will simply become influential among the people around you. Or you may feel the
effects most strongly between you, as this experience helps you to discover what you really want
to do with your lives and to start doing something about it.

But there is some danger if the energy is not handled well. Pluto in the tenth house can be
destructive, and its effect is to utterly ruin your reputations, and possible some more
fundamental aspect of your lives. Usually this happens because you have been ruthless in some
way, either toward others or with each other. Pluto here can signify that you let no one stand
in your way as you strive to get where you want to go. But when you encounter a stronger person
or a situation that you cannot control, havoc breaks loose.

The only way to deal with this is to control your ruthlessness. Keep in mind other people's
needs and wants as the two of you pursue the goals and objectives you have set for yourselves.
And treat each other with the same consideration.

Pluto Sextile Ascendant

The sextile of composite Pluto and Ascendant indicates that this relationship will cause you both
to analyze yourselves in depth and to analyze the nature of your relationship. Taking very little
for granted, you constantly seek ways to change and improve yourselves as individuals and as a
couple. But the analysis that you undergo will not be a superficial intellectual exercise. It
will go on in your hearts as well as your minds. And the changes that take place in both of you
will affect all levels of your being.

This will not be a negative process. Elements of your personalities will pass away, but the
transformation will be experienced as good and necessary, following naturally in the course of
events. This is transformation through evolution rather than revolution. It will be very deep,
very powerful, and very useful to both of you.

One consequence of this aspect is that your hopes for life will probably be altered. Your
earlier goals were based on what you were then. Because this relationship changes you, it will
change what you seek as well.

When the two of you talk, you discuss your serious concerns, not light subjects. Others may
consider you excessively serious, but this is because you recognize the importance of what is
happening in this relationship, and you do not want to waste time with trivia. And this is
right, at least for the two of you. This relationship will bring about much growth in both your
lives.

Technical details

The Composite horoscope is a symbolic chart, derived mathematically and never represented by a
real planetary configuration on the sky. For all planetary pairs, for example both Suns in the
natal charts of the partners, the Composite Sun is determined as the mid-point in between. Also
the MC (Medium Coeli or cusp of the 10th house) is determined by this mid-point technique. So far
all astrologers proceed the same way to get a Composite.

For finding the Ascendant and the other house cusps in a chart two different techniques are used.
One school of thought, also adhered to by Liz Greene and other staff members at Astrodienst,
computes the Ascendant and the other house cusps with the same mid-point technique. In the very
rare case of an Ascendant falling into the west half of the chart, which is the wrong side, the
Ascendant is corrected by 180 degrees, so that it comes to lie in the east half where is must
naturally be.

The other wide spread school of thought uses a table of houses for the Ascendant. First a
fictious birth time is derived from the mid-point MC, then for this time the Ascendant and other
house cusps are read from the table. Because house table entries vary by geographical latitude,
the latitude of a reference place is used here. The geographical longitude (east/west location)
of the reference place is not taken into account, so that Naples, Italy and New York, NY result
in the same Composite chart, because both cities are near 40 degrees northern latitude. The
technique is called reference-place technique.

In his book 'Planets in Composite' Robert Hand describes both methods; we have decided to use the
mid-point method with the Partner Horoscope, because the Relationship Horoscope by Liz Greene
also uses this technique and many readers might be unnecessarily confused if we offered two kinds
of partner horoscopes containing different Composite ascendants.

Mercury and Venus can sometimes have an unnatural position in the Composite Chart. In nature,
Mercury is never more than 30 degrees from the Sun, Venus never more than 45 degrees. In the
Composite, however, each of the two planets can also be in opposition to the Sun. In such cases,
some Astrologers mirror the planet into the opposite sign. Robert Hand takes into consideration
both possible positions. Our Astrodienst reports follow the method of Liz Greene, who does not do
such a mirroring.